Resident Evil 0: Say your Prayers
by DisclosedBarrel
Summary: Sequel to Executive Decision. Seeds of mistrust have been planted amongst the survivors, STARS and U.S.S. as their alliance is faltering. The misfits find the cathedral beyond the observatory. Progress was being made, but at what cost? At the end of the day, someone's gonna die... Oh, yes, Marcus is still hiding behind the scenes.
1. Miserable piece of sht!

ALEXIS DAEMITH (MONOLOGUE)

When I saw the combined efforts of the outsiders laying waste to that abomination Centurion, I felt a bit conflicted with my orders to eliminate them. Perhaps they earned their lives, or at least, a chance. That's what's gonna happen in the end. I'll complete my mission and I'll have to tie up the loose ends, that being Rebecca, Billy, Richard, Evie and Irvine. I would see it as a testament to my loyalty to Umbrella as the company is my home. Then again, ever since I was raped by _their _Hunters, I have opened my eyes to their cruelty. Whether to voice my outrage or not, I'm undecided. After all, Umbrella is my home, and I'm not strong enough to leave...

General Savage parted ways with us to hunt down James Marcus and appointed Brett to take his place, with _me _as his support. I guess I got my wish. While he was the learner just hours ago, now he's the captain. As all things should be. Perfect time to shine was just short of that chapel facade. Deep underground was a laboratory and a means to reach the Water Treatment Plant. That's where Marcus was hiding and that's where Benton will make the ultimate decision...

Alexis refused to be a burden of any sorts but she couldn't help it, she had been dealt a bad hand of cards. Got the shitty end of the stick recently and it wasn't her fault. She held her head and shook it. "I can't believe this… I think some miserable piece of shit knocked me up!" She held her mouth and rubbed her stomach. "I have a breakdown. I get trapped." She said solemnly and quietly, "I get raped... This is a nightmare and I cannot wake up…"

The new set of information was definitely not what Benton expected, finally putting two and two together. He wasn't too sure how pregnancies worked for her species, but it was obviously not as long as humans. That generated a problem. He came up to her side, glancing down at her stomach where she had her hand. She wasn't kidding around, the vomit evidence of that. He cursed, glancing at the group and then back at the cathedral. He was quickly coming up with a plan.

"Okay," he said, gently taking her arm, "Let's get you inside." He held her firmly enough to keep her stable and ushering her down the stone path. She seemed well enough to walk on her own. He then hollered back over his shoulder, "We're going to the cathedral, people! I suggest we get moving!"

Alexis felt her stomach, she felt a bit concerned as she's never been educated about the birds and the bees fully. There's human sex ed and then there's her, a Hunter. She wondered if any of that was relevant to her productive functions. "I am no damsel, Captain... but I will go with you if you feel it's necessary."

"Hey, you did just get..." Benton caught himself trying to correct her "damsel" statement. Last thing he wanted was to piss off the pregnant lady with sharp talons and feral tendencies. "Never mind," he quickly added, hearing an infected groan as a body slowly started to get up off the ground inside a tiny hut to the right of the cathedral. Choosing to ignore it, Benton grabbed the handle of the double doors. Pushing and pulling did nothing, it was locked.

"Damn it," he lightly cursed. He let go of Alexis and stepped back, glancing up at the large church. There had to be another way in. Maybe Alexis could break the door down. During his thoughts, the groans started to give him a headache and he turned and aimed high.

"Enough!" he growled, a shot piercing it's forehead and sent it back into the little cabin structure on an angle, disappearing behind the wall. Hitting the floor, it's weight seemed to depress a pressure plate and it instantly released an audible lock on the doors.

"That worked," Alexis muttered.

Benton raised an eyebrow, glancing between the hut and then the doors. He didn't know how that just worked, but he wasn't going to question it. "Mightier than the sword, my ass," he commented as he then opened the doors, keeping his gun close to his chest as he began to enter the room.

Just then a set of bats scurried from the corner of the room and frantically flew past the door, escaping through the large hole in the ceiling. Benton waited for any more to follow their siblings before he glanced at Alexis, "Just dust and bats." He entering the room and scanning each corner individually. Not even a dead body. What was odd though was the lit candles at the altar, a few of the lights on the walls were still glimmering. The door in the far corner was certainly a point of interest.

The mess was blatant. Rows of hardwood benches were thrown about, some broke, some intact. The windows were clean, though dark with the night and dust layering everything. The altar ahead was untouched, like the lit candles here and there.

The organ at the back was nice, truly the only good part of religious communities. Alexis noticed the door ahead and pointed at it. "I see that door over there..." Alexis smacked her lips, disappointed by the absence of dead bodies. "I can't believe there are no bodies here, maybe we're the only lucky ones to get out of that dead facility or...?"

She shook her head at the sound of her stomach growling lightly. Alexis appeared bothered there wasn't anyone, or anything around. Her hunger seemed to be growing and it was beginning to worry Benton. He didn't want to come this far only to be eaten by his subordinate. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, keeping his distance intentionally.

"I am honestly not sure about anything anymore, Brett. This has never happened to anyone before. Though your concern is charming to me, I _won't _let my primal instincts get in my way of our mission, or our survival." Alexis smiled. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. If you feel threatened, do what's necessary..."

Listening to Alexis, he couldn't help but notice she really cared about him. The little thing she said and did pointed to a little more but there was a lot going on and wasn't going to read too much into it. "I won't kill you, if that's what you mean," he quickly added, his eyes never leaving her. "We'll figure this out, Captain."

"I'm no captain. Look at my eyes, I'm not the captain now. You are." Alexis admitted she did a piss-poor job as captain and gave up trying until she goes back to boot camp. "I'll follow your lead. If worst comes to worst, this mission will be done with or without, and that will be the end of it."

"The mission comes first."

"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail will keep me from doing my job. At the end of the day, these people won't be your concern for too long." Alexis scratched her head, brushing her black hair. "If push comes to shove, they will be the first to go."

"That's all I ask," Benton said to her. "Need you just as much as you need me, remember that," he finished before glancing over at the other door Alexis pointed out. "I'm going to go check that other room. Don't need any more surprises."

Keeping his gun up, he reached the door. Turning the knob, the door creaked once it opened and Benton peeked inside. Noticing a desk with an old typewriter, he perked up when he saw a couple boxes of shotgun shells. It was a welcoming sight but he wasn't going to trust it for a second.

Scanning the rest of the room, he cautiously looked behind the door and on the floor, he immediately spotted a pair of legs, combat boots and knee pads. Focusing the end of his gun, he learned that a body was leaning up against the book shelf.

Dry blood caked the ceiling and upper shelves. The man was in a uniform similar to Benton's, his head slouched over, a gapping hole where some of his hair should of been. It was evident he took his own life. There was a handgun in his hand.

"Geez," he muttered, knowing that if the man was once infected, he wasn't coming back from that. Making sure the rest of the room was empty, he crouched down in front of the body.

Alexis entered the room without a sound, only the door opening gave her away with a whiny creak. "Found anything, Brett?" She noticed the dead body and bit her lip and felt her thick body, around her hips and thighs. Almost sensually. She breathed loudly. "John..."

Benton glanced at Alexis from the corner of his eye when he heard the door. He remained crouched and continued studying the dead man before him. "What's left of him." He took the Browning from his collegue's gloved hand. Riggamortis had set in and he had to carefully pry off the fingers. He gently shook his head at himself for knowing there's a saying in there somewhere.

Checking the magazine, the weapon was almost full. "Must have held up in here till he couldn't take it anymore," he added, getting up and walking over to the ammo on the desk. "All this and..." He then stared back at the body. It was clear to Benton that fear ended John's life. He handed Alexis his handgun. "You take it."

"Okay."

Alexis had to fight the urge within to feast on the corpse that was once a fellow operative. Wasn't even interested in a full feast, drinking some blood would quell her everlasting hunger for some time. The bastard she was carrying needs a suitable diet to grow and though it wasn't important, the hunger was constantly nagging at her like a loose tooth.

The only thing that separated her from the abominations she calls her brothers was her morals, and feasting on them was something she couldn't live with. Would save her appetite for the ones who truly deserve a fate worse than death, or for others where being eaten was no longer their concern.

All this talk and conflicting thoughts about her newly found hunger was driving the animal insane. There was no sex ed class in her school curriculum and had no idea the emotions and hunger would be so exaggerated. The dead member would want to be useful even in death and rather ravage his corpse, he deserved to be left alone. She felt like taking his clothes was the least he could do.

"No more needs to be said. There's no way he could've known the situation would be this bad. His pain is over now." Alexis licked her lips. "I might need to take his clothes…"

Irvine slapped the sides of his cheeks hastily, as if doing so would make the voices in his head suddenly go away and bring himself back to reality. He needed to think of something, anything better than death, horror and suffering.

The cool wind of the midnight sky did little to alleviate his profuse sweating of nervousness. Eyeing up at Evie, he blinked in light confusion at her gestures. "Wait… are you asking me if I'm okay? Honestly, I don't know, I'd say yes, but that'd be a lie. Whether I am or not, well, its not like anything can be done about it." He walked off to the cathedral.

_He sounded festive… _Evie thought.

Billy, Rebecca and Richard follow the two outside. They waved Evie over and all went on after the rest of the party. They were getting along well but all decided Irvine was losing his cool and the Umbrella members weren't to be trusted. Not right now at least.

The mess was blatant. Rows of hardwood benches were thrown about, some broke, some intact. The windows were clean, though dark with the night and dust layering everything. The altar ahead was untouched, like the lit candles here and there. The organ at the back was nice, truly the only good part of religious communities.

Billy sighed as he looked over the church indifferently. He'd hardly been a religious person growing up, and doubted very much that praying was going to bring them any sort of salvation in a place of damnation such as this. "I'd say that this would be a good place to wait for help to show up. Since it's unlikely that any sort of radio contact would reach the city, that idea's just as hopeless as we are."

Irvine stumbled his way past all of the rows of hardwood benches, heading in the direction of where Benton and Alexis were. He didn't like the idea of being around them, but he recognized the style of churches such as these from being raised Catholic. In the back was where fountains of purified water was, before they became holy. He could use some water right now.

However, as he pushed his hand against the door to enter, he froze at the mumbled voices from within. He knew that he should turn away, but he leaned in close enough and could see Alexis licking her lips hungrily. It was like she was ready to devour the corpse hidden within the corners of the room.


	2. I'm Batman

_You see? She's a monster. A freak of nature. She' won't hesitate to eat a corpse, what do you think she'll do to you?_ whispered the voice into Irvine's ear, causing him to back away from the door in horror. So caught up was he in his own horror that he failed to notice the sound of something swooping down from above and wrapping it's talons around his shoulders. "Aauuuuuauuauugggh!" he cried out in horror, being lifted up into the air kicking and struggling.

Billy whipped his head around, looking straight up. There was a huge hole in the ceiling and a giant bat holding Irvine with it's talons. It hovered around the ceiling closely. "What the hell!"

"Get me down from this thing!" Irvine screamed fearfully at the hissing and screeching bat. Its half-destroyed face snapped it's fangs hungrily at the fearful teen.

"Hang on!" Richard called out. He pulled up his handgun and stood close to Billy with his shotgun. They were both hesitant to shoot as they couldn't find a good angle to land a shot. They pulled up at the altar. "I can't get a good shot. You?"

"No." Billy fired, his weapon's buckshot peppering the giant bat's left wing. It barely noticed but Irvine did and yelped.

"Hey, careful!" Irvine yelled.

"Don't do that again, Billy."

"Right, probably not worth the risk. Just testing." Billy moved away from Richard and closer to the door in the back. Richard, in turn, moved the opposite way. "I might be able to take out the wings, but not with the kid up there!"

Richard knew a shotgun's buckshot would fare better than his handgun. He decided it was everyone else's job to get Irvine down so Billy could ground it. "Becky, get behind it! We can't let it leave!"

"Okay!" Rebecca nudged Evie to take cover behind the closest pew as she ran back towards the entrance, stopping mid-way. "Taking the shot!" She fired her handgun several times, hitting the bat's backside more than thrice.

The air stunk with the odour of putrid meat. Richard fired some rounds into the air, avoiding the kid in the process as the creature turned to Rebecca. Billy fired his shotgun at the same wing as earlier. He dared not to do it again as the spread was dangerously close to hitting Irvine. With the haste speed of the creature, the task of freeing him was proving difficult.

"Billy!"

Billy pumped his shotgun. "Sorry, finger slipped..."

Irvine struggled and kicked in the bat's grip, panting heavily as it zipped around left and right, holding him tightly in it's grip. Watching the bat slowly open it's drooling, snapping maw in hunger, he could feel the blood drain from his cheeks. The bat flew higher into the air and closer to the sizeable hole in the ceiling.

"Don't let it take me away, guys!" No matter how hard Irvine squirmed he couldn't break free from the bat's clutches.

Alexis burst out through the back door, now entirely clothed in black combats. "What in cock's sake is going on out there?"

Alexis left the small room and was greeted my a monstrosity flapping about, a giant bat. The abomination had poor Irvine in its grasp. It was admittedly hard to aim without hitting the kid but not for someone who could leap stories and use hand-to-hand combat. The thing screeched like it begged to be put out of its misery. Alexis scouted the area for the best angle to launch her attack.

She saw the bat staring at her; it hissed at her with nasty teeth that rivalled hers. Dozens of smaller bats started flowing through the gaping hole above; the flew about in a thick black blur, almost making the larger bat and Irvine invisible.

"Focus fire on the smaller ones, guys, I will ground the big one."

Alexis leapt straight up through the swarm of bats and reached out to grab the flying monster. She latched onto the bat's belly; her talons tore down its midsection. It howled, dropping Irvine onto the pews below. His fall wasn't gracious as his back crunched into the harder parts of the wood.

Irvine quickly threw himself out of the combat and crawled away on his hands and knees as quickly as he could. Crawling underneath a nearby bench, he curled up and cover his hands over his ears, hoping and praying that the gunfire would all come to an end.

"No bye-bye for you," she uttered.

When the bat attempted to kill Alexis off, she, instead, dropped lower down its legs. She gripped them tightly. Rebecca saw this and felt the urge to get some good shots at its backside but couldn't leave the horde of bats unchecked. She moved to Richard and Billy, firing at the black mist.

Alexis felt the struggle as the bat couldn't cope with the extra weight. It shook one of its legs free and kicked her off the other. She yelled out when her back crashed onto the cold, hard floor. She rolled over her head with a heavy groan and a bitter pain in her backside.

The swarm of bats was easily contained by Billy's shotgun as the spread dropped several of them at a time. He, Rebecca and Richard were unsure if the smaller bats could infect but they didn't wish to find out. When a lot of the bats started dropping like flies, the swarm pulled back.

Alexis bent her legs and leapt to the further side of the chapel, holding onto the bannister above the stone pillars. She kicked her feet and launched herself at the giant bat while its back was turned; it was trying to make an escape through the huge hole above.

They crashed into the bannister above the entrance, their combined weight smashed the window. She grabbed its head and bit right into its neck; it hissed loudly and started flapping its wings for some extra lift. They took flight and Alexis was crushed against the ceiling, but that didn't stop her despite her grunts of pain.

After the bat flew a bit forward to reach the ceiling's hole, Alexis wrapped her muscular arms around its neck and lengthened her tail. The joints and vertebrae in her tail extended her tail to an insane length of almost ten feet, with the point sharp as sin. She thrust her tail through the bat's back, tearing a large cavity in its chest. Almost like its chest burst open.

The monster's screams of agony started to soften; its wings started to falter. It landed with Alexis stood on top of it. When she pulled out her tail she gripped the back of its neck and threw it at the further side of the room, crashing against the wall and destroying a couple of pews.

Alexis' tail shot right back up into her body, scaling down to the cuter length of a couple of feet. She noticed Benton stood behind Billy with his grenade launcher drawn; looked a bit soft-spoken for words and just smiled. She nodded in turn, shooting back a smile of her own.

Alexis shrugged. "Crisis diverted."

"Nice one!" Benton called out.

"Yeah… certainly saved us some ammo," Billy muttered, hating Alexis' dangerous twerks ever so more.

Rebecca patted Evie's shoulder and brought her up. Evie was looking calm… She was a bit shocked to see the house of worship in worse for wear. Most of the pews were in shambles. Little black things were scattered around, covered in what she hoped was blood – that would mean they're dead. And the giant bat on scrunched against the wall on the far left. Dead. Its chest wide open. She smiled and gave a thumb's up.

"Everyone okay?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, as expected. The boy did a good job not getting in the way, mind you." Alexis' tail lengthened again, her tip lifted up the pew Irvine was hiding under. He was shaken and at least a bit stirred.

Irvine stood up and dusted himself off. "I did okay, considering the situation."

Alexis' tail shot back into her like a receding measuring tape. Her tone of voice went a sarcastic as she said, "No. You did _real_ good job NOT letting a giant bat sneak up on you…"

The other five walked to meet Irvine and Alexis. Rebecca sighed. "Alexis-"

"It came out of nowhere! Why weren't _you _out here checking out if it was safe or not?!"

The chapel went silent as the moment went a little more serious. Benton was sure Irvine was challenging Alexis, that made her smile fade away and also his. The poor boy didn't know who he was messing with.

"In case it escaped your notice, kid, I was just getting _changed_. Unless you want me walking around naked, to which I don't, I had to at least make the effort to carry your ass - as we all know you're the weakest link."

"Guys, seriously!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Irvine was about to speak again but this time it was mostly on a stupid impulse. "I'm not-"

"Just! Be. Glad. You're still alive." Alexis regained some of her cool and spoke a little calmer, looking over the kid's shoulder to the other five – mostly Rebecca at the front. "I found one of my guys in that room in the back. He took his own life. John was… a good man. He paid his bills, and he owned a small takeaway. He even gave food to the homeless."

Alexis looked at Irvine some more. "So," she continued, "be happy you have a stronger will to survive than he does. Not everyone can say that." She walked to the chapel's entrance and pushed the creaky door open. "This place bores me, let's go." She left the chapel.

Turning his attention toward Benton and Irvine, Billy grasped his shotgun and handed it to Irvine. "Don't worry about her."

Irvine just stood there. "Thanks..."

"She's probably a few flies short of a good grub."

Irvine turned his head to Billy, confused. "Huh?"

"Cuz she's a lizard, and grub's… you know… Nevermind."

Richard stepped up to Irvine and handed him his spare shotgun shells. "Here you go, kid. Might need ya help in the next fight."

"I don't need charity-"

"And I don't do shotguns." Billy pulled out his lovely nickel handgun. "I'm better this way."

It wasn't Saturday Night Live Marcus was interested in while he watched the monitor, it was the seven survivors fighting that winged B.O.W. that escaped recently. The giant bat that no one at least bothered giving a name.

He never desired to be a general manager but being one has its perks. A PDA that controlled all functions in the facility remotely, that was good. Using that to have constant live footage of all the surveillance systems was useful for bringing the trespassers further into his grasp.

The survivors were almost a force to be reckoned with. Their ability to work together was interesting, even considering they barely know each other, let alone trust. Shown good signs of cooperation that his leeches perfect, then again, they were a hive mind.

These people were individuals. _Could be worthy subjects to bless with my gift, _he thought. Marcus planned to break the weakest link of the group as a test run. As a wise man once said, a house divided cannot stand. The runt of the group was the boy. Irvine.

Marcus whispered silently to himself and a small leech slithered up and over his left shoulder. Like the human, a runt of the pack, but it was one of his many children and he loved all of them equally. He smiled and started to whisper, almost talking to the small leech no bigger than his thumb. It dropped off his body and slithered away.


	3. Smoke break

"Was any of this worth it?" Billy asked Richard and Rebecca. "There was nothing important here."

"Had to check it out at least," Rebecca reassured. She walked to the entrance, wondering if coming into the chapel was worth the time.

"We should've went down that path first, and come here if we needed to."

Rebecca stopped at the double doors; her hand already gripping the dusty knob. She turned back around. "What path?"

Billy shrugged. "There's a small bend outside, heading around the back I imagine."

"Oh… Yeah, we should probably go there now. Richard?"

"Sure. Let me have a smoke first, bloody itching for one right now."

"I'll join you."

Richard pushed through the chapel doors and brushed past Rebecca, looking back at her with his kind eyes. "Okay, just don't go asking me for a smoke."

"Rebecca smiled. "Wasn't planning to." She followed Richard to the chapel doors.

"We'll wait for you outside!" Billy called to Rebecca and Richard's back.

Rebecca nodded. "Okay. Don't wander too far, we won't be long." She and Richard left the chapel.

Billy smiled at Evie and Irvine; they were holding up okay, although at least a bit spooked. They followed the him as he started making his move for the door. "Alright, let's get to it."

Rebecca followed Richard over the bridge. When he stopped about halfway, he took out a carton of cigarettes. Rebecca took one when he wasn't looking and stared at it with disgust. She saw the other Billy, Evie and Irvine walk around the chapel, down the path that lead somewhere behind.

"It's probably best one of us stays with the others."

"We need to talk about the elephant in the room."

"Right, right, right." Richard lit his cigarette.

"I'll never see the appeal in cigarettes."

"I'm trying to quit like Chris, but I don't think I'm that strong."

"You will be."

Richard rubbed his neck. "The situation calls for it. I'm not exactly comfortable right now with what's happening. I feel like I'm gonna bloody pop."

"You do seem stressed."

"You're not?"

Rebecca rubbed her arms. "I… just do a good job hiding it..."

"I'm a bloody stress volcano over here. I mean, we're making good progress finding out what happened here, but the more we go on the more we gotta realise that some of us are at risk."

"Christ, I know. What can we do? We can't go on like this."

"Glad you're on the up 'n' up." Richard smoked and then leant on the ledge. "Seems at the end of the day, it's them or us. I know this goes against everything I stand for but I think we might have to get rid of those Umbrella soldiers."

Rebecca turned her head. To think he was thinking about something so heinous. "Don't say that! No one has to die-"

"I don't think they're the type to willingly let us go. I know we can't just shoot them in the back unprovoked but something needs to be done."

Rebecca sighed. "We're smart, we can brainstorm an idea. A compromise or a parley? Anything but… that." She looked at Richard; he said nothing for some time. "We didn't join STARS to shoot people in the back… there has to be a way."

"Perhaps… We keep an eye on them, and then what? All I can think we can do in a situation like this is to kill them before they kill us."

"We're supposed to protect and serve…"

"I understand that it might be too much to take in for a rookie, but the gravity of the situation-"

"I can't. I won't. To turn my gun on living people is not why I joined STARS."

"We'll have to ditch them then - it's the only way. We'd have less trouble banking on an accident to happen to them, or for Billy to kill them himself; he's already killed twenty-three-"

"That's the thing though, I don't think he's the monster the team lead to believe." Rebecca smoked.

"Then that just makes it worse for use. I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping he'd be the one to kill them. You know how killers act, right? They _rarely _change their ways." Richard smoked. "Now I'm finding out there's a chance he might not be the remorseless killer I thought he was. Did he explain anything about himself?"

"No, but I will question him when the time is right."

"To think we had a good chance of defending ourselves. At the end of the day, we're all in this together but someone's gonna turn, and I don't think we have an edge. We're at a disadvantage, a huge one."

Rebecca nodded solemnly. "Suddenly the idea of being a meter maid doesn't sound all that bad."

"If anything happens, Becky, stay behind me. We'll get through this, I promise." Richard's radio started to beep. He rushed it out of his pocket and listened. The familiar voice of Forest was slightly distorted but at least a little bit clear to understand. He whipped back at Rebecca so she could hear. "Forest, that you?"

"_Richard? Can you hear me?"_

"Yes."

"_Richard? Richard?! Fuck's sake! If you can hear me, listen! __Enrico f__o__und __a__ Water Treatment Plant __be__neath __what looks like a cathedral.__While on transit, we got split up, so now we're__planning to group up at __a nearby mansion on the forest outskirts. __We lost contact with the others, so get to that mansion quick! We need your help to find them."_

"Mansion?" The signal started to fade away, not like Richard could keep Forest on any long as his voice wasn't going through. He cursed under his breath. "There must be a jammer or something, all of our radios are acting up."

"Makes sense that we can't make any calls here, that's for sure. At least we know where we can start from scratch and get our bearings."

"Yeah, I suppose. A mansion. Fuck, that could anywhere from here." Richard rubbed his sweaty face. "This is a mess, a fucking huge mess." He smoked. "They need my help to find the others, but if what you said is true, then it's already too late. Edward... Kenneth… And Kevin, poor Kevin; he's all alone at our helicopter."

"I don't mean to be rude…" Rebecca frowned. "I don't think he's gonna make it out there..."

"Not with those dogs out there." Richard leant back on the stony ledge. "If we can regroup back at the mansion, we can start planning our escape. We'll save time not having to worry about the others since… they're already gone. Kevin could still be alive, but to go back out there in the dark would be suicide."

Rebecca discarded her cigarette; it wasn't all that bad, felt like paradise in some ways. "Let's go find that mansion. Come on." She walked back towards the chapel.

Richard waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'll catch up in a minute-"

_BWOOOOOMSH! _Something loud thundered through the air, sound something short of an explosion deep underground. The water bellow rippled some short waves that brushed against the bridge. Richard looked down to see the water shifting ferociously about.

Then the bricks beneath his feet started to shift and come undone; they fell into the water one at a time. Richard lost his footing and dived to the closest form of solid ground he could, rolling just short of the stairs outside the observatory.

The large gap between Rebecca and Richard was around several meters in length, too far for a human to jump. She saw Richard climbing up the stairs and look around to what happened. Half the bridge leading up to the chapel just collapsed into the river below. The murky water that looked too cold for comfort.

"Are you alright?!" Rebecca yelled.

"Yeah Half the soddin' bridge is gone!"

"I see that What are we gonna do?"

Richard paced around the slippery ledge. He eyed the long gap and back at the observatory before coming to a conclusion. "You're gonna have to go on without me."

"You're joking..."

"Look, I'll go find a rope or something and find my own way across. You just focus on getting to the mansion."

Rebecca agreed with great reluctance. "Okay, fine. I'll call you once I get there, hopefully I'll be able to I mean..."

"I bloody hope so too. I'll do my best to catch up once I find a rope or a ladder or something..."

"I guess I'll see you later then. Stay safe, Richard." Rebecca turned away but was stopped when Richard called for her attention.

"Remember what we talked about. Okay?"

"Of course."

Richard pulled out his handgun and put away his radio. "I'll be back." As he walked back into the observatory Rebecca began her short walk back to the others. Alone.

"This elevator doesn't seem to be getting any power," Billy muttered. The short walkway under several arches had a plain elevator on the right. Neither the light or lamp was working. He noticed a fence gate ahead was locked with a zombie shuffling around. "We… might need to get over there."

"On it." Alexis walked to the fenced gate and leapt over swiftly. Her vertical jump landed on top of the zombie on the other side; it didn't even notice her coming. Her left foot cracked into the ribs, while the right crushed the zombie's head into a red slush. Her weight was immense.

Alexis scrapped her feet on the grass and saw a circuit breaker with a small lever. _This circuit breaker appears to be supplying power to the elevator_, she thought. After the lever was pulled she walked back to the gate and tore it off the fence. The bars bent under her grasp and ripped with a horrible, metallic groan.

"The elevator's workin'," said Billy. _Christ, how is she this strong?_

"Ready to go?" Benton asked.

"Gotta wait for the other two first."

"Of course." Benton pressed the button and the elevator doors opened. "Alexis, take point, please."

Alexis took out her new handgun; excluding the round that ended John's life, the magazine was full. "Yes, Captain." Alexis boarded the elevator; it was cramped with Benton but she enjoyed being close to him. They went straight down to BF2 as it was the only floor available.

"I don't like them," Billy muttered.

Irvine whimpered. "W-What?"

"They won't let us live, no with what we've seen and heard."

"What are we gonna do?" Irvine looked at Evie; she said nothing, obviously. She slid her thumb across her neck as if it was a knife. "We can't do that… Can we?"

"I intend to survive." Billy pressed the elevator button and leant on the archway behind him. "I know these military types." He folded his arms. "Most of them are only in it for themselves."

"What about you?"

Billy shrugged. "What about me?"

"Aren't you ex-military? For killing, like, twenty-three people?"

Billy turned his head and huffed loudly. Evie slapped Irvine across his face; he cried out and she stood there with the look of a disapproving mother. She shook her head.

"Thanks..."

Irvine had his hand over the red mark over his left cheek, there were tears in his eyes. "Ow, fuck! Sorry!" He rubbed his face. "It's just… I heard you're a convict, and there were like, peopled dead 'n' all-"

"Don't believe everything you hear, kid." Billy stared at Irvine's sweaty face; he truly looked like a child. "If I was as bad as people say I am, riddle me this: why haven't I at least made any attempts on your lives?"

"Got a point there…" Irvine felt something tickle the inside of his right ear, like a fly or a flea; he shrugged it off thinking it was the wind or just a loose hair... "When are the cops coming back?"

Billy looked over Irvine's shoulder; he saw Rebecca speed-walking over. "Speak of the devil. Here's one of them now."

"I've got some bad news." Rebecca shook her head and sighed. "The bridge to observatory fell apart while Richard and I were on it and… we got separated. There's no going back for us now."

"Didn't intend to." Billy felt a bit of sadness for the young cop; he shared her emotion. "Is he okay?"

"He went back into the facility to find something to help him across the bridge. Like a rope or a ladder."

"He should be able to find one, all sorts of junk in there." Billy walked to the elevator. "You first, Officer."

Rebecca looked at the open elevator and back at Evie and Irvine. "Where are the others?"

"Six feet under, I hope." Billy smiled and nodded his head towards the elevator. "They're ahead of us."

Rebecca took a slow walk into the elevator; her hand rubbing against the doors. "Richard..." she mused, solemnly.


	4. Let's be friends

Marcus sat alone in his boudoir since his office was ransacked by that youth Dorian Savage. The only source of light was from his fish tank. The blue glow shimmered all around his computer. The cameras placed at the cathedral and his hidden laboratory had prominent angles of the trespassers and all the rooms.

The seeds of woe have sprouted and started to bloom, Irvine was blossoming into the ideal subject. He admired the boy, to some extent, and found him to be worthy to stand at his side as his new protege. But a mere boy couldn't help him surpass Spencer, Marcus needed a man.

For that man to be born, they boy needed to die, only then he would breed excellence. "Fear breeds anger. Anger breeds hate. Hate... breeds suffering," Marcus murmured to a tiny leech writhing around his fingertips. "Give into the suffering of others, and those who have wronged you, and you will never be afraid ever again." The telepathic link amongst his children worked wonders for the old man.

Irvine shook his head. Hearing the old man's voice was starting to get to him, but the more he listened, the more he understood… He stood behind Billy while the elevator went down. He didn't like him or his muscles. He was a killer. Rebecca was too soft to do what's necessary. Evie was hot, but she was a crutch being a mute. He didn't like any of them…

Once the four reached the lower level, there were only a single door to choose. The path ahead was blocked by wall that looked like it didn't belong there and the staircase to the left was collapsed – big chunks of concrete made it impossible to move by hand. She lead on through the door and inside she saw Benton and Alexis

"Didn't get far, huh?"

Benton rolled his eyes. "Apparently not."

Alexis snorted and folded her arms. "We couldn't progress any further with that wall in the way."

There was something groaning around the corner but Benton ended it with a single shot from his MP5. "It's safe here, at least."

"Not a moment too soon," Rebecca said, moving closer to Benton and Alexis. "The bridge we took earlier collapsed so there's now turning back now. Is there any way to get around?"

Alexis stared at the huge hole in the ceiling some ways behind Benton and then caught him staring at her. They shared the same stare. Rebecca stopped between the two. "I'll show you."

Alexis walked Rebecca around the left corner, just past the zombie Benton killed. The library had a tall ceiling, almost twelve feet in height. There was a hole wide enough to allow a person to climb into the floor above. To reach that hole would be difficult for Rebecca who was barely five-foot-three.

Rebecca looked up. "That's quite a bit to reach..."

"For a human, yes. I've nominated myself to check out the floor above. I'm sure I can clear the way some how."

"So you… what? Jump up there and we just sit here and wait?"

"Unless you have a better idea, Officer."

Rebecca folded her arms._ Can't exactly move the rubble or blow up the wall. _"Okay, you've made your point."

"I thought so." Alexis nodded at Benton. "Captain, I'll investigate upstairs. I'll won't be long."

Benton handed Alexis one of the two-way radios he was carrying. "Call me if you find anything useful."

"Will do. I think we've overstayed our welcome already."

Alexis adjusted herself directly under the gaping hole in the ceiling. She bent her legs and launched herself vertically through the hole, barely grunting with the light cardio. Apart from a lonely desk, there were many shelves and cabinets full of jars and beakers. Some liquids and labels Alexis knew, others she didn't.

The sounds of squelching attracted Alexis around the first right corner, of course it was another leechman. Rather than feeling the least bit scared, she instead felt confident and beckoned the leechman to make the first move. It stepped forward and lashed out its long arms at her.

Alexis darted to her left, dodging the leechman's crossing limbs. She leapt forward, her left claw decapitating the head clean off the B.O.W.'s shoulders. When it retracted its rubbery limbs, she turned and darted to the left, cutting through its waist.

The leechman's upper body fell to the ground but the legs was still walking, then they expanded thrice the size… Alexis covered her face with her arms and then the legs exploded, scattering leeches everywhere with a large amount of force that pushed her back.

"Pathetic..." Alexis walked around the right turn towards a door but stopped to take a map off the wall. "This will come in handy."

Outside was a balcony and a red button. When she pressed it the wall from below moved up, sealing the open banister. She was sure this would allow the others below to move around a bit more freely, but doing so, she heard another leechman walking around…

In the upstairs atrium, there were three doors in the L-shaped hallway but the one on the right drew Alexis' attention. She just felt colder looking at it, for now, it was locked. She brushed past the doors to her right and followed through to the one ahead. It felt even colder, sending shivers down her spine…

When she entered the room Alexis knew why she felt strange. It was deja vu… There were two bodies wearing yellow biohazard suits; she recognised them. When she gave them both a double tap to the head, it all hit her – this was where it all started. Marcus' assassination. Alexis froze. Remembering the last time she arrived.

Thursday 10th, October 1996. Lord Oswell E. Spencer ordered the assassination of Dr James Marcus, the reason was undisclosed but theorised to be along the lines of mutiny. Drs Albert Wesker and William Birkin joined General Dorian Savage into seizing his assets.

What people didn't know was the fact Alexis Daemith was there also, along with Albert Wesker's son, Scott Wesker. They were all standing outside Marcus' laboratory, all five of them in the hallway. The U.S.S. were dressed for combat and armed to kill, the researchers were ready to steal.

For a while, Birkin and Wesker coaxed Scott into doing the deed himself, in the feeble promises of respect, power and promotion. Alexis didn't catch more than that; she had to stand by and be ready for anything – back when she was still as loyal as a pup.

She didn't know what finally tipped Scott over the edge, but it was enough for him to accept General Savage's weapon and barge through the laboratory's door. He did do his fair share of hesitation, however, Umbrella's greed and golden tongue does that to young people. Filling their heads with power, wealth and lies. He was weak.

After a long pause, the sounds of automatic gunfire thundered through the door. Dorian lowered his folded arms. "That's our cue, Captain."

Alexis nodded and took point at the laboratory door. She kicked it open and scanned the area inside; she saw Scott and a dead body. The deed was done. She stood by the green door opposite with her weapon kept close at her waist while, Dorian, Wesker and Birkin walked in to claim the bounty.

Dorian stood between Wesker and Birkin, looking over Marcus' bullet-ridden body. "Not one to outsmart a bullet it seems..."

Wesker leaned in to get a better look as Marcus was clinging to his feeble life. "Aw, time to die, Doctor."

Birkin wouldn't help cracking a smile when he got a better look also. "Looks like I'll be taking your research." He laughed, feeling the joy overwhelm him.

Marcus croaked, blood filling his lungs. "W-Wesker… Birkin… Savage..."

Wesker snorted. "It is done." He walked to Scott and put his hand firmly on his shoulder. "Congratulations on your promotion, Doctor."

Scott was still frozen; he wasn't moving in the slightest, only his gun shook. He took one look at the MP5 and dropped it. Wesker was distracted for a brief second and felt Scott push his hand away, before running back through the door they came through.

"He's adjusting," said Wesker.

Birkin stepped forward, unsure. "I should hope so, I'll be the one working with him." He and Wesker stood over Marcus' dead body once more, staring at him up and down. "It's like the end of an era..."

"Indeed." Wesker faced Dorian. "General, dispose of him."

"No problem."

Wesker turned to Birkin. "Birkin, come. We still have work to do." He left the laboratory with Birkin following him.

"I can hardly wait." Just like that, Birkin and Wesker was gone.

Dorian looked over Marcus' body. Blood and meat was splattered all over the ground he stood on. "Captain, you take the arms, we need to clean this place up."

Alexis felt uneasy; she knew what she was doing was wrong, but at the same time; she didn't care. "Yes, General."

It was here where Umbrella's history changed, the death of the first general manager – the beginning of the end. The deja vu was uncanny and beat over her head rather than give her a glimpse of recollection. Alexis eyed up the large capsule in front of her: it was filled with gas and had a body slouched inside. She felt it wasn't important and left the laboratory.

The operating room is in total disarray. A table has been flipped over, and there is blood all over the floor. Alexis saw two zombies coming at her, one looking like a workman and the other a mercenary in dark combats that mimicked her own. There was a third zombie around the right corner; she killed it with the last three rounds in her magazine.

After a quick reload, Alexis started investigating the room. It used to be Marcus' operating room back in the day but it was all in disarray due to negligence. There was that strange door that was decorated with a bust of Marcus. Had a space in the base for some kind of object.

Alexis saw an orange file with scattered documents in the table nearby and examined them. It was one of the few reports made by the First Investigation Unit – something of importance. With a heavy sigh of guilt, Alexis left the room and carried on back into upper atrium.

Rather than taking the door ahead, Alexis took the door on the first left. Rather than a plain room or a bloody laboratory, Alexis found herself on the second floor of a platform. There was a small booth within, behind the long glass windows that ran around. There were some controls or machinery on the other side.

The upper platform was dark and cold, the ambient silence drew her closer to a railing overseeing the lower platform. There it was, a red cable car, beyond that, a long rocker cavern that looked like it went on for miles – couldn't see further than the darkness. No end. No lights. Just a cable car and a rail.

Alexis grabbed her radio. "Captain, I found a cable car; it might be our way out of here."

"Good find. Now we can get out of here."

"I'll make my way back to you."

"Please do. I heard one of those leech fuckers outside the library."

Alexis leapt over the railing, landing just short of a ladder below. "I'll handle it."

"Roger." Benton hung up his side of the call.

Alexis vaulted over another low railing and walked to a grey door behind; it was locked but also felt a bit flimsy. On the other side she could hear a leechman slithering around. She had a stupid idea. Alexis innocently knocked on the door, drawing the creature closer to it.

When the movement was at the loudest, she scrapped her feet against the floor and kicked the door down with her might boot. It came right off the hinges and smushed the leechman underneath. It was almost sad seeing it get squished into flesh and juices but she pressed more weight on the metal door, ending it's desperate flailing.

"Alright, the way is clear! Come on."

The reference door opened slowly; it was Benton. He nodded and started walking with Billy and Rebecca close behind him. "Was there any trouble, Alexis?"

"Like a walk in the park." She looked at the shifty looking couple behind him. "Assemble at the cable car, people, come on."

Benton, Rebecca and Billy quickly brushed past Alexis; they took one look at the mess underneath the door before picking up the pace. Then there was Evie dragging the absent-minded Irvine; he was still skittish like a small pup. Alexis could smell the fear radiating from him.

"Alright, let's go."

Alexis took the lead back into the platform. Evie saw that Irvine was slowing down but decided not to bother him; he wasn't a child that needed his hand held… She caught up to the others as Irvine slowed down completely.

Irvine felt something drop onto his shoulder; it was one of those leeches. Rather than squirming, he didn't mind the slimy creature slithering down his arm. It wriggled into his hand like a cute, little slug. He saw a door to his left and felt something summoning him to it.

_T__his door is decorated with a bust of __an old man, _he thought. Irvine saw a flat space just below; it was perfectly-sized for a leech.

He let the leech jump off his hand and find its way to this open space. After fitting into it like a glove, the bust came down along with the rest of the apparent wall, fully becoming one with the marble floor. Irvine walked ahead on his own as the wall came back up behind him.

Now he was inside a small boudoir, one that smelt nice and sported a more vibrant atmosphere. The light opera music from an unseen record player was a nice touch. Eased the mood and stress Irvine was feeling.

A young man in white was sat at the desk by the back door. Irvine stopped by the fishtank and felt the sense of closure almost overwhelm him. James Marcus stood up to greet him.

"Hello there, Mr Blackwood."

Irvine felt a lump in his throat choking him. "Doctor Marcus..."

Marcus patted Irvine's shoulder. "No need to be afraid, dear boy. I promise you, I'm a lot nicer than what people say."

"Is that so? I've heard nothing but bad things about you, Doctor."

Marcus was about to sit back down in his luxurious chair but he turned his head. "I have my reasons, Mr Blackwood, reasons you'll understand soon enough." He sat down and smiled. "Would you kindly come to my desk?"

"Yes sir." Irvine couldn't control himself, and just like that, he was walking right up to the crazy man's desk by the door.

"As you know, my name's Doctor James Marcus. Let's be friends, Mr Blackwood."

Irvine choked on his tongue and nodded.


End file.
